Juliet's Balcony
by humanity'sfangirliest
Summary: You visit Verona, Italy and run across a cute Italian. The reader is referred to as 'I' so I apologize if anyone is confused.
1. Chapter 1

I sighed contentedly as I walked down the sunlit streets of Verona, Italy. Today was my favorite kind of day; when the sun is shining most of the time and white fluffy clouds drift everywhere with a small breeze that rises and falls every few minutes. Yep, today is a good day, and I haven't even done anything yet. I was on my way to Juliet's Balcony; of course it isn't the real balcony from Romeo and Juliet, but it is pretty dang close to what Shakespeare had in mind. Hundreds of girls go there in hopes of bettering their chances in love. I wasn't going for that reason; I just wanted to stop at as many hotspots in Italy as possible before I go back to America tomorrow.

Another cool breeze caught my hair blowing it around my face in such a way that I immediately felt as if I was in a movie or something. I smiled to myself; me in a movie? Hah! That would be awesome indeed! I felt pretty splendid in my new outfit too; a red designer shirt, designer jeans, and some really cute black boots. '_Could this day get any better?_'

I turned a corner and spotted my destination. The balcony itself was quite small, but it was pretty. I could see vines that crawled from the tended garden below to the edges of the balcony and the architecture was something to admire. I stood for another minute to enjoy the view, and then moved forward to the door leading to the balcony.

There were love notes, and letters to Juliet tacked and taped on the walls; I couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit at the desperate attempts at love. I wasn't overly in need for a man; I mean it would be nice to have a boyfriend to talk to and share experiences with, but I can take care of myself fine. I finally made my way to the balcony.

The view was gorgeous; I could see all of Verona from here! The white buildings shone in the sun and the sea sparkled. I gasped and stared at the sight for, well I don't know how long I was standing there like an idiot. I felt my mouth stretch into a wide stupid grin as I appreciated the beautiful city. The breeze blew again and pulled at my hair; I could hear the sounds of a distant guitar playing a love song as I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

I heard some loud, angry words from below me. I looked down, snapped out of my reverie by this man. He was kind-of cute; with his dark auburn hair and fine build, he had nice hazel eyes as well. I also noticed a single curl coming out of his bangs that circled away from his head. '_How odd... I wonder in that was done on purpose or if the wind did it?_'

He was angrily speaking in Italian on the phone with someone.

"Ti ho detto di non perdersi! Che vuol dire un gatto?! Due gatti?! No, non siamo in grado di tenerli! Feliciano. Ok, siamo in grado di tenere i gatti stupidi, ma si deve prendere cura di loro! Sì, io ti amo fratello. Arrivederci."

I knew some Italian, so I managed to follow the conversation without too much trouble:

"I told you not to get lost! What do you mean a cat?! Two cats?! No, we cannot keep them! Feliciano. Fine, we can keep the stupid cats, but you have to take care of them! Yeah, I love you too brother. Bye."

I almost giggled. It sounded like this guy's brother was a little too carefree for his own good. The man hung up and sighed. He looked around, seemingly noticing just now where he was. That's when he glanced up at the balcony into my eyes.

I blushed when I realized that he caught me staring at him; he blushed as well. I didn't look away and neither did he. Soon it became an unsaid battle for who would look away first. I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned and stuck out his. I made a face and he replied. Suddenly a cat that had been walking along a fence jumped down on a trash can lid which fell to the ground with a loud crash. The man turned swiftly to locate where the noise had come from as I gave a yell of triumph. He turned back to me realizing that I had won.

"Ha! I win!"

"If it wasn't for that cat, I would have!"

"Yeah right!"

I stopped for a second. '_Wait a minute, did he speak English?_'

I leaned farther over the stone railing. "Hey! Did you just speak English?"

He grinned. "Yeah, idiota ragazza! Don't you know your own language?"

I humphed a little. "Well you don't have to be mean! I was just surprised to hear an Italian speak English."

"Maybe you should come down!"

"Huh?"

"You know, so we don't have to yell at each other!"

"Oh! Good idea! I'll be right down!"

I ran down the stairs leading outside; when I walked back into the sunshine, I had to blink a few times to get used to the light. I looked around, but the mysterious Italian was nowhere to be seen.

'_Did he leave? Well so much for him!_'

I was about to walk off when hands covered my eyes. I froze, thinking of kidnappers, or rapists.

"Guess who?"

"Uh, man who I was yelling at?"

"Oh, right, I haven't told you my name yet."

He removed his hands and moved in front of me smiling. He extended his hand.

"My name is Lovino Vargas."

I took the hand and shook it heartily.

"I'm (f/n l/n)."

"Nice to meet you (name), are you from America by any chance?"

I blinked. "How'd you know?"

He laughed at my expression. "I just recognized your accent."

There was a small silence.

"Um, do you want to hang out (name)?"

"Sounds like fun, but don't you need to help your brother out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well he got lost and now has two cats to carry home. Maybe you should help him; I could join you guys if you want!"

He rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. "I guess I forgot about my fratello! Yeah that would be great if you joined me!"

I walked with Lovino as we headed to the area his brother was last seen. We ended up in a large crowded square with a fountain in the middle and tons of tourists and locals milling about. I put my hand above my eyes so I could see easier when I realized that I didn't know what Lovino's brother looked like.

"Uh, Lovino? What does your brother look like?"

He laughed a little. "He looks like me but with lighter hair and honey-colored eyes."

"You're twins?!"

"Yeah."

"That's so cool! I love twins!"  
>He glanced at me with a smirk on his face.<p>

I ignored it and began looking for Lovino's near-copy. I spotted him sitting by the fountain, looking scared and holding two squirming cats.

I grabbed Lovino's arms and began pulling him towards his brother.

"There he is! By the fountain!"

Feliciano looked up and saw us walking towards him. His scared expression changed instantly into ecstatic joy.

"Fratello! Ero così spaventata! Im così felice che mi hai trovato! Oh! Chi è questo? E 'carina! Ciao Bella!"

Once again, translation:

"Brother! I was so scared! I'm so happy you found me! Oh! Who is this? She's pretty! Hello Beautiful!"

I blushed at his compliments, and offered my hand.

"I'm (f/n l/n), and you must be Feliciano."

He grinned hugely. "You know my name! My fratello must have told you! It's very nice to meet you bella!" he enthusiastically pumped my hand up and down.

Lovino looked a little upset. "Okay you know each other! Now Feliciano! Are these the cats you want to hang onto? They look a little mangy to me; I don't think it would be a good idea to keep them."

Feliciano started tearing up and sniffling. "B-but fratello! You said we could keep them!"

"Yeah I know, but they look like they have diseases!"

'_Feliciano looks so sad. And the cats are so cute! Maybe I should intervene..._'

I put my hand on Lovino's arm. "Come on Lovino, can't you afford to take care of a couple of cats for your only brother?"

He blushed at my hand, but barely nodded. "Fine! We'll keep them!"

Both Feliciano and I raised our hands in the air and cried out in celebration, Lovino rolled his eyes at our enthusiastic reactions.

Lovino reached for one of the cats, but it hissed and swiped at his hand. He jerked back and turned red in the face, barely keeping his voice down.

"I can't even touch it! Feliciano I think you should reconsider!"

"Please fratello! They need to be fed and taken care of!"

He shifted around a little like he was thinking and then looked at me. "(name), could you carry one of the cats to our house? They don't seem to like me very much and would probably run away."

I nodded, excited at the thought of getting to go to the cute Italian's home. "Yeah, no problemo!"

He smiled as thanks and started leading the way. I grabbed a cat from Feliciano and followed. My cat had a strange curl coming out of its head like Lovino, and I couldn't help but laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

After about ten minutes of walking, we arrived at a white villa that had flower boxes on the sills of the windows. We walked inside and I set the squirming feline on the ground. Then I looked around the house. The living room was to the left and I could see the kitchen to the right. Straight ahead was an iron staircase leading to the second floor. "It's a nice house!"

"Thank you bella!" Feliciano said as he set his cat on the floor who curiously had the same kind of curl that Feliciano had.

Feliciano watched the two cats as his played with mine. "What should we call them? How about you decide (name)?"

"Me? But they belong to you guys!"

Lovino shook his head. "I don't want to name them."

I looked at Feliciano. "Sorry Bella, but I want you to name them! I'd end up naming them 'tomato' and 'pasta'."

I laughed at the random names and began to think. "Well since they are from Italy; how about (pointing at mine) Romano, (pointing at Feliciano's) and Veneziano."

Both boys opened their eyes wide in surprise.

"Are those names okay?"

They recovered from their shock and quickly tried to cover it up.

"Yeah, yeah those are great names!"

"They fit the cats fine!"

"Okay, weirdoes."

There was an awkward silence.

Feliciano clapped his hands together. "Well I'm starved! Are you hungry bella? Because we're going to make pasta!"

I shook my hands in front of me, "Oh no. I couldn't possibly intrude!"

"Nonsense Bella! We'd love to have you!"

"Just think of it as a thank you for helping find Feliciano and bringing home the cats."

"Well if you put it like that, I guess I can't turn down a free meal."

Feliciano whooped as he ran into the kitchen. Lovino rolled his eyes and joined his brother. I followed and watched as they put on their aprons and started getting the ingredients out. I noticed that Lovino pulled some tomatoes out of the fridge.

"Hey, Lovino. What are those for?"

He looked at me incredulously. "For the sauce ragazza. What else?"

"Oh. I didn't know you made your own sauce."

Feliciano cut into the conversation. "It's best when it's homemade, and we always use fresh-picked tomatoes."

"Really? Do you guys have a garden?"

"Sort-of. We have a friend who owns a tomato field; he gives us a crate or so of tomatoes a week."

"A crate a week?! What do you do with them?"

Lovino blushed with embarrassment. "We eat them idiota ragazza."

I grumbled a little and sat down on the barstool at the counter. I sat there, content to watch them cook; Lovino seemed to be in charge of the sauce while Feliciano was obviously the master at making pasta. They grabbed a number of fresh spices to add to their respective bubbling pots. In about twelve minutes or so, they announced that lunch was ready.

We sat down at a small dining table and dug in to the wonderful-smelling food. I almost talked with my mouth full in my excitement. "Feliciano this pasta is amazing! And the sauce is absolutely divine! Where did you guys learn to cook like this?!"

They replied simultaneously. "We are Italian."

I shrugged as I tucked in to the hot dish, choosing to ignore the pleased blushes that appeared on their cheeks. I finished my meal in record time and sighed happily from the warm spot in my belly. Suddenly a large dark-furred creature leaped onto the table and attacked Lovino's food.

"Romano! No! Bad cat! Get off the table!" I yelled at the bad-tempered feline as I picked it up and set it on the floor.

"I-a told you that keeping those cats was a bad idea!"

"Now now fratello. Romano was just hungry because we haven't fed him yet. I'm sure he has much better manners."

I hurried to the fridge and pulled out a fish they had wrapped up in the freezer. "Can I feed them this?"

The boys looked over. "I was planning on cooking that for dinner!"

"The cats will eat your lunch if you don't let them have it."

"Fine!" Lovino huffed and crossed his arms.

I walked over to the table to grab my plate as a makeshift cat dish when the other lighter-colored feline jumped onto the tabletop to get to the tasty morsel in my hand. When it landed, it managed to knock tomato sauce all over the three of us.

"Ah!" I shrieked.

"Ve!"

"What the-"

Veneziano grabbed the fish in his mouth and jumped down. His brother immediately attacked and they both fought for the prize. I sighed as I watched them squabble, then looked down in dismay at my outfit. '_It's soiled! I really doubt that I'll ever get these stains out!_'


	3. Chapter 3

"Those no good strays! I'll skin them!"

Feliciano was clinging desperately to his brother's arm and crying for him not to hurt the animals while Lovino was glaring at the two creatures as they settled down for their shares of the fish. "Fratello! Get off of me! We are throwing them out now!"

I tried to intervene. "Please Lovino! They are just animals! They didn't know any better, and were only trying to fulfill a basic need for food. Let them stay!"

He started to calm down a bit after I talked for a while. He tried to pull his arm away from his babbling brother.

"Calm down Feli. We can keep them, there wasn't any real harm done."

Feliciano opened his eyes to look at his brother and make sure he was being honest before reluctantly letting him go.

I cleared my throat. "Well no real harm excluding my clothes, I doubt I'll ever be able to wear them again."

Lovino looked at me confused. "But (name) those stains can come out easy!"

"What? Really?!"

"Yeah, I know an old family recipe for tomato stains! Otherwise my fratello and I would have a drastically reduced wardrobe."

I giggled at the thought of the brothers getting tomato sauce all over the place with silly accidents. "So you can get the sauce out of these?" I asked picking up the edge of my shirt and patting my jeans.

Lovino nodded. "That would be no problem; you'll have to take a shower though. Some of the sauce got in your hair."

I blushed at the idea of showering in this guy's home, but I knew I couldn't just walk out of the house and back to my hotel covered in bright red tomato sauce, I might get arrested.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay show me to the bathroom."

Lovino walked back to the lobby gesturing for me to follow him with two fingers. He walked up the iron steps to the second floor and walked to a door on the left of the hallway. He opened the door.

"This is the guest bathroom. I'll grab some extra clothes for you to change into while we wash those."

"Thanks Lovino."

He mumbled something that sounded like 'you're welcome' in Italian.

I walked past him and closed the door behind me; I threw my soiled clothing in a pile outside and stepped into the shower. I twisted the knob and waited for the water to get to the temperature of the flames of Mordor. Then I just stood there as the water cascaded down my back in streams and rivulets. '_This is heaven! I can't get over how relaxing showers are!_' I sighed contentedly as the warm water heated up my skin till I looked like a lobster. After I finished washing my hair and body, I slowly stepped out of the shower onto a towel, then I cautiously opened the door and poked my head out into the hallway. '_Looks like the coast is clear..._' I looked down to see a fresh set of clothes neatly folded which were sitting on fresh, clean towels on the hardwood floor. I smiled to myself. '_Lovino must have put them here for me._'

I slowly toweled my body down and then patted my hair as I looked over the clothes he left me. It was a pair of dress slacks and a white button-up collared shirt. I quickly got dressed and tried to comb out the tangles in my hair with my fingers. After I deemed myself presentable, I slowly opened the door to the empty hallway and crept down the staircase. I could hear the boys talking in the kitchen. I padded to the lobby and peered around the corner.

They were both still covered in the now dry sauce and cleaning off the floor and table from the remaining sauce. They both had taken off their shirts which were presumably in the wash. I blushed a little as I saw their back muscles rippling as they worked. "Fratello, is (name) still in the shower?" Lovino jerked at his brother's words. "Wh-why would I know that?" "Well you have been up there a long time." "I was just-a making sure she was comfortable when she got out! Nothing happened!" Feliciano glanced over at his brother with a smirk on his face. "I didn't say anything happened fratello, but the question is; would you want something to?" I stiffened at his words. Lovino's face turned the same color as the sauce he was wiping off. "I don't-a know what you are-a talking about!" "You like her don't you?" Lovino didn't say anything. I backed away from the kitchen entryway and went to the base of the staircase. '_Better not let them know I heard that..._' Only when I was standing a good distance away did I call out. "That was the best shower ever! Thanks again for letting me use it!" I could hear a number of bangs from the kitchen. I picked up the pace and walked in. Lovino and Feliciano had both bumped into pots and silverware, causing them to clatter to the floor.

They looked up at me, red in face. "Sorry, did I scare you guys?"

Lovino reacted first; he quickly got "mad". "What do you think ragazza?! Screaming at the top of your lungs like-a that? Be a little more subtle next time!"

I smirked. If only he knew how subtle I could be. He noticed my smile; "What's that smile for ragazza?! Did you mean to scare the living crap outta us?!"

I laughed. "No I'm really sorry that I scared you! It's just that you guys look so funny covered with sauce." I said as I bent down to help pick up the scattered utensils. We hastily put the silverware away in the kitchen drawers and then stood there awkwardly

"Thanks for the clothes Lovino."

He grunted. "You're welcome. They are Feliciano's actually; he has a build more similar to yours."

"Are you saying that I have the body of a girl fratello?! You're-a so mean!" And with that, Feliciano ran off crying. '_That's so strange, he was able to take and dish out crap only a minute ago, and now he's back to this crybaby routine..._'

I heard some water turn on a minute later. "He must be taking a shower."

"That reminds me that I need to take one as well. You can watch some TV while we're busy."

"Thanks" I sat down on the plushy couch and grabbed a remote from the coffee table. I began flipping through the channels and finally settled on an anime. The characters on the screen had powered up for the sixth time when I sensed someone behind me. I turned around and saw Feliciano standing there in some casual clothes toweling his hair, but carefully avoiding the odd curl that stood away from the left side of his head.

"Did you have a good shower?"

"Si it was bene. Where is mi fratello?"

"He got in the shower not long after you did."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh. I didn't think he would leave you alone."

I shifted nervously under his gaze; he blinked a few times and then smiled hugely.

"Well that doesn't matter! What are you watching bella?!"

He ran and jumped towards an empty space on the sofa. He landed with a soft thump and turned towards the screen.

"I-uh-I don't actually know what I'm watching."

He peered at the screen and shrugged. "I don't know this show, but it's anime so it must be good!" I laughed. "Yeah I agree with that one Feli!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You called me 'Feli' and not 'Feliciano'."

"I-I'm sorry! It just sort-of slipped out!"

He was grinning again. "I like that nickname! Keep calling me that from now on, I'm sure it's a lot easier to say than my full name!"

I nodded. "Okay Feli! Should I call Lovino, Lovi then?"

He looked thoughtful for a bit. "I don't know how fratello would react to that."

"React to what?"

We turned around. Lovino was leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, his arms crossed.

"Oh fratello! (name) and I were deciding what she could call you!"

He looked a little taken aback. "Call me? She can call me Lovino like a normal person would."

"Well she's gonna call me Feli from now on, so we were wondering if you wanted a nickname too." Feli pouted.

He grunted before joining Feli and I on the couch.

"What is this crap?"

"I don't know fratello; (name) was watching it when I came in." Feli was observing his brother's reaction closely.

Lovino stuttered a little before just settling for being quiet and watching the anime. After the show ended, I stretched and stood up.

"Well that's enough anime for one day. Hey Lovi, are the clothes done yet?"

"No, it will be several more hours before the stains are safely out."

I pouted a little. "Well what are we supposed to do now?"

We were all silent for a minute before Feli spoke up.

"Why don't we go shopping?"

"Shopping? It's no wonder people thought you were a girl for a while."

"That sounds fun! Wait, what?!"

Feli was blushing madly. "N-nothing (name)."

Lovino jumped at the chance. "Yeah! When mi fratello was younger, everyone thought he was a girl and he wore a little green dress and bonnet everywhere." Then Lovino produced a picture of a younger Feliciano in the outfit described.

I started giggling. "Awwww! You were so cute Feli!"

Feliciano had a determined look in his eye. "Thank you bella, but I was nothing compared to mi fratellone." He started to reach for another picture.

"Don't you dare!" Lovino lunged for his younger brother and knocked him to the ground as Feliciano grabbed the frame. Feliciano threw the picture and I caught it in the air. Lovino had Feli's hands pinned down and looked frantically at each empty palm before looking at me. I was too busy admiring the portrait of little Lovino to even notice Lovino's look of hopelessness. The chibi version of Lovino was holding a broom and wearing a similar outfit to Feli's but it was pink.

"Oh my gosh! You were so kawaii! How adorable!" I squealed as I held onto the picture. Lovino got off of Feli and sighed. I looked up at him with a huge grin on my face; he was very red and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"You don't have to be embarrassed Lovi! This dress was very flattering for you!"

"Don't call me that!"

"What? Lovi?"

"Yeah."

"Okay sorry Lovi, I'll try to not call you Lovi anymore."

He glared at me and I smiled even wider.

Feli dusted himself off as he got up from the floor. "So shopping?"

"Yeah let's go!"

"Whatever."


	4. Chapter 4

I ran to the guest bathroom to make sure I still looked presentable, and then scurried outside, purse in hand. Lovino was already pulling the car around to the front, and it was a bright red Ferrari.

"Holy crap! You guys have a freaking Ferrari?! That's so awesome!"

Lovino flashed a smile and patted the passenger's seat clearly intending for me to sit there. I ran up to the expensive car and gingerly opened the door. I sat down on the cool, tan leather and sighed at the support it provided in all the right places. Feli climbed into the back seat; once we were all buckled up, Lovino slammed his foot on the gas. We took off and flashed by many houses before reaching the town areas in only a matter of minutes. I had to keep my eyes trained on the inside of the car or I would get sick from our constant weaving in and out of traffic. After another minute or so Lovino screeched to a halt and calmly parallel parked on the side of the road.

I stumbled out of the car and tried to regain strength in my legs again; I glanced across the square and admired all of the different shops that lined the streets. Many vendors had stands offering sizzling meats and cool ice cream.

"Oi! Ragazza we're going in here!"

I turned and saw that Lovino and Feli had almost left me behind as they walked towards what looked like a mall. The building was huge and white with silver embellishments and windows covered the sides; I gasped as we got closer. I had to lean my head backwards in order to see the top of the building. We walked through revolving doors into the cool ground floor; There were even more stores lining either side of the walkways and I saw that there were at least three floors full of shops and great deals.

"This is fantastic! Where do we go first?!"

"Why don't you choose bella?"

I smiled at Feli. "But I don't know where any good shops are."

"That's okay! Just tell me what you want to shop for and I'll find the best shop!"

"Okay, uh how about clothes?"

"Clothes it is! Ve~!"

And with that, he ran off leaving me and Lovino behind.

"W-wait Feli!" We ran after the small Italian and finally caught him on the second floor dashing into a fancy-looking clothing store. Lovino grabbed onto the collar of Feli's shirt and shook him.

"You Idiota! You need to warn us before you go running off like that! You could get lost again!"

"Ve~ sorry fratello!"

I ignored the brothers and walked into the clothing store in awe. '_This store is as big as a supermarket!_' Row after row of shirts, skirts, and slacks stretched as far as the eye can see; the walls were even lined with dresses and jackets hanging on racks. "This is amazing!"

The brothers joined me, one standing on either side and admired the store with me. "My fratello and I always shop here! The clothes are of the best quality and they are very stylish!"

I jumped into my shopping mode and ran to the nearest rack to pick out a new shirt. I squealed in delight when I found the cutest red shirt and pulled out the price tag to see what the damage would be. My eyes nearly popped out of my head; '_There should be a decimal somewhere right?_ _This is more than I brought with me for the whole trip..._' I groaned and hung the shirt back; another hand grabbed it off the rack and I turned around in surprise. Lovino was holding the shirt and gave me a questioning look. "Don't you want this ragazza?"

I hung my head. "Yeah, but it's too expensive for me."

He pulled out the price tag and glanced at the number; then he folded it over his arm and looked at me expectantly. "Are you going to look for anything else ragazza?" I stuttered a bit. "B-but aren't you going to put the shirt back?" He sighed to himself. "No idiota ragazza, I'm-a going to buy it! Now go ahead and look for something to go with it!" "But Lovino! It costs way too much! There's no way I can pay you back!" "It's a gift! Just accept it and keep shopping; mi fratello and I will take care of the costs."

I blushed and looked around. '_Now that you mention it where did Feli go?_' Lovino read my expression. "My idiota fratello is shopping for himself somewhere else in the store." I shrugged and continued shopping; multiple times Lovino caught me trying to put back an item that I obviously wanted and chastised me for it before adding it to the slowly growing stash of clothes hanging off his arms. Of course I would argue with him that the prices were too much and that he didn't have to feel obliged to pay, but he would have none of it. After an hour or so of this, I was able to convince Lovino that I didn't want to look at anything else and was ready to try on the things I picked out. We moved to the far side of the store that was lined with dressing rooms; Lovino agreed to hold my clothes as I took a few at a time to try on.

After going through the formidable number of clothes, I finished with five new outfits complete with top, bottoms, shoes, and accessories. Once I had decided on what I liked, Lovino grabbed the outfits and quickly strode towards the check-out counter. I tried to pull him back. "Wait Lovino! I only need one outfit! If you must buy me something, just let it be one!" He ignored my protests of course and bought everything. In fact, whenever the number popped up to show what the grand total of the purchase was, he covered my eyes. "L-Lovino! Let me see!" He chuckled. "There's no need for you to see how much we spend on clothes ragazza, it's none of your business." "None of my business my butt!" He finally uncovered my eyes and grabbed my hand to drag me out of the store. Feli was standing outside with a bag in hand waiting on us; he brightened when he saw Lovino practically dragging me out.

"Ve! How was it? Did you get some good outfits?"

"Lovino wouldn't let me pay for anything! And he wouldn't even let me see how much it cost!"

"Is that so."

Feli was looking at his brother who was staring him down as if to challenge him. Then they broke the stare and looked different directions. '_What is going on with these two? Could it be connected to what they were saying earlier?_'

I stretched my arms and sat down on a nearby bench; the brothers sat on either side of me.

"Are you tired bella?"

"No Feli, my feet just need a quick rest. By the way Lovino, when should the clothes be ready?"

Lovino looked at his watch and grunted to himself. "Not for another two hours."

I sighed and sat there thinking about what else we could do to kill some time.

"Do you want to change into one of these outfits?"

"Huh?" I mumbled, coming out of my trance.

Lovino blushed. "I said, do you want to change into one of your new outfits?"

"Ooooh Yeah! I think I'll go with the one with the red top!"

I grabbed the corresponding bag and ran to the nearest restroom; after changing, I looked in the mirror admiring the way the new clothes flattered my figure.

"Ragazza! Are you done changing yet?!"

"Yeah, I'm coming out!"

I walked out of the restroom and struck a pose for the boys. They both said nothing and just stared.

I blushed. "Wh-why aren't you guys saying anything? How does it look?"

They blinked a few times and finally acknowledged me.

"It looks mucho bene Bella!"

"You look really pretty (name)."

I turned even redder and thanked them before walking towards a staircase leading down to the ground floor.

"So what do you guys want to do now?"

"Ve, I don't know (name). What do you want to do?"

I almost laughed; I didn't know what there was to do around here, so I shouldn't be the one to choose.

Romano cleared his throat, "Why don't we walk alongside the Fiume Adige?"

'_A Riverwalk? That sounds nice._'

"Yeah, that would be great!"

We all walked outside and started to head towards the river.

"Hey Lovino, don't we need to add that special powder to the clothes to ensure the color isn't lost?"

"Oh crap! You're right! I'll go home and do that!"

Lovino was already halfway across the plaza when Feliciano called to him:

"Fratello! I'll go home! You stay with (name) and hang out with her! I'll just stay at the house and make sure the clothes finish correctly."

Lovino had a confused look on his face as he walked back. I stayed where I was as Feli met him halfway and whispered something in his ear. I watched with avid curiosity as Lovino's face reddened and his eyes widened. Without another word, the younger Italian had run off towards the Ferrari, leaving Lovino to walk back to me.


	5. Chapter 5

When he reached my side we continued to walk to the river in silence.

"Lovino, what did Feliciano say to you?"

He jumped visibly and looked away to the hills and trees. "Um, n-nothing important ragazza, just an inside joke."

"Oh?"

I looked up at him, using my best puppy dog eyes. He gulped and looked away again. The sun was slowly setting behind a hill dotted with tall trees and beautiful flora. We had reached the water's edge and stopped to admire the beautiful moment.

I sighed as the sun's last gleams of light shone across the slowly moving river and sparkled in such a way that could only be described as magical.

"Come on (name)."

I turned surprised that Lovino used my name and joined the side of the Italian quietly as we walked alongside the river.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah! You guys are great! And you showed me a lot of Italy that I wouldn't have experienced on my own! I owe you both so much!"

He smiled and I almost tripped with shock.

'_Oh my gosh! He's actually smiling, and it's not forced like it usually is! He looks really cute!_"

He noticed me staring at him. "What are you staring at?"

"You have a really nice smile Lovino."

He blushed and turned away. I laughed quietly to myself and took in a deep refreshing breath as the breeze carried along scents of pasta and roasting beef.

Suddenly Lovino grabbed my arm and started pulling me to the other side of the sidewalk towards a small kiosk.

"Lovino where are we going?!"

"What flavor gelato do you want?"

"Uh, mint chocolate chip?"

"_Va bene, signorina? Posso avere un chip di cioccolato alla menta e cioccolato per favore?"_

Top of Form

"_Certo cosa tesoro!"_

(Sure thing sweetie!)

The woman scooped out two cones of the ice cream and handed them to Lovino who paid in full. Then he handed me mine and continued walking.

"Thanks Lovino."

"Hmm? No problem. I thought you might be hungry."

We came across a bench and sat down to watch the last of the sun's ray disappear over the horizon.

"Is that any good?"

Lovino pointed to my mint ice cream.

"Yeah, it's my favorite! Do you want some?"

"Uh, okay."

I moved the cone in front of his face and held it there; he looked a little surprised and then hesitantly licked the treat. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled.

"It's nice, it has a fresh taste to it, but it's sweet too."

"I know right!"

"Do you want some of mine?"

He offered up his cone.

"Sure!"

I dipped my head forward and licked the gelato. It tasted like normal chocolate and I smiled.

"It's good!"

He started laughing. I froze and stared at him with shock; '_now he's laughing? What's going on here?_'

He noticed the confused look on my face and started to laugh even harder. Tears started to stream out of his eyes and I couldn't help but chuckle at how goofy he was being; soon we were both cracking up and holding our sides. After we had calmed down I asked him:

"What started that off?"

He almost started giggling again, but maintained control.

"You got some gelato on your nose when you licked mine."

I giggled and took the napkin he offered me and wiped the bit of chocolate gelato off the tip of my nose.

"That's better."

"Now I feel so silly." I did a playful pouting face that managed to get a chuckle out of Lovino.

We were quiet again and I sighed as I listened to the water moving past our resting place; when I opened my eyes again, the sun had set and the light was quickly fading. Streetlamps were coming on and less people were walking along the streets and sidewalks. I was started to feel nervous.

"Um, Lovino? It's kind-of dark now, do you think we could start heading back?"

He opened his eyes too and noticed that I was right.

"Yeah, you're right."

We stood and began walking in the direction of the square.

"(name)?"

"Huh? What is it Lovino?"

"Do you want to spend the night at our house? You know, to save money on your hotel?"

I blushed. "That sounds like fun, but I couldn't intrude any more than I already have!"

"Will you stop saying that?!"

I jumped at his slightly angry tone.

"St-stop what?"

"Stop saying stuff like, 'I don't want to intrude', if we invited you, then we want you to come over!"

'_Oh_'

"Okay, I'm sorry Lovino. I would love to spend my last night in Italy at your house."

He jumped and snapped his head to look down at me.

"What do you mean your last night? Are you leaving for America tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to leave, but I have family and a job back home."

"Then don't leave!"

I looked up at him, shocked, "I can't abandon my family like that! They would worry sick about me! And I don't have a job here! How would I support myself?!"

He looked away and we continued to walk down the sidewalk. We stopped by the hotel and I checked out with my luggage (only one carrying suitcase. What? I travel light!) , and continued to the house. Judging from how long the drive was earlier, I would guess that we had another seven minutes of walking to go till we reached the villa.

We passed by a dark alleyway when a voice sounded out. "_Dove vai di miele_?"

(Where are you going honey?)

We jumped as three men materialized out of the darkness.

"Perché non fosso che scusa magro per un ragazzo e venire con alcuni uomini tesoro?"

(Why don't you ditch that scrawny excuse for a guy and come with some men darling?)

"I'd much rather stay with him if that's okay with you." I retorted looping my arm through Lovino's.

The leader's face darkened. "Non era un suggerimento." The other two men started to come around on either side of us.

(It wasn't a suggestion.)

Lovino acted quickly, he punched the leader in the face and managed to dodge the other two. I decided to help and hit a guy in the jewels. He groaned and fell to his knees. The other guy slapped me across the face; I was about to retort with my fist when a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. I turned to see that Lovino was running and dragging me along.

"Come on! Let's get home!"

"Right!"

We both booked it and got to the villa in three minutes of hard sprinting. We knocked hurriedly on the door and Feli let us in. He was very surprised as Lovino made sure that the door was locked securely before joining me on the couch.

"What happened? Why are you two out of breath?"

"We...ran...into...some...thugs...and...ran...away..."

Feliciano spotted the suitcase I had thrown on the floor and picked it up.

"What's this?"

"That's...my luggage...I'm...spending...the night..."

Feli's eyes lit up. "Really?! Then I better prepare the guest bedroom!"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Lovino and I panting on the couch, too tired to care. After a minute, we finally regained our breath and I slowly realized that Lovino had laid his head in my lap. I looked down at his face, his eyes were closed and cheeks flushed as his breathing slowed. I noticed the curl again. '_After all this time, it still hasn't moved?_' I decided I would pull it.

I lightly poked it at first; Lovino squinted his eyes even tighter in response. '_I wonder if it's a special curl?_'

I gently took hold of the silky strand and began to lightly tug on it.

Lovino's face got even redder and his breathing picked up again.

I jerked the piece of hair, and he smashed his lips into mine. I squeaked with surprise as Lovino continued to kiss me. I struggled to get away, but then I realized that the cute Italian that I had been crushing on was kissing me. He pulled away and gave me an aggravated look.

"N-non mai tirare il mio riccio! O Feliciano è per questo!"

(D-don't ever pull my curl! Or Feliciano's for that matter)

"I'm sorry!"

He moved off of me and sat in a chair across the living room. After another two or three minutes of silence, Feli came back into the room.

"(name)! Your room is ready! Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I think I will. Goodnight Lovino."

"Night."

I followed Feli down a hallway and to a small yet cozy room.

"Here you are bella!"

"Thanks Feli, goodnight."

"Buonanotte and (name)?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't blame Lovino; he was never good with expressing himself."

I looked at him in shock. He smiled and winked at me before closing the door.

I got into my pajamas and jumped into bed; I slept soundly that night.

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	6. Chapter 6

I sighed as I dragged my luggage behind me. I looked up at the chart that listed what flight was paired with which gate.

'_So my flight to Dallas is at gate B 57..._'

I looked to see what gate I was at; the sign read 'Gate A 10'.

'_What?! I have to walk all the way across the airport!_'

I pouted for a minute before giving into my situation and continuing towards my destination.

~Le Awesome Time Skip~

I sat down in a chair as I finally reached Gate B 57.

"That was too far! They should have trams around here!"

I looked at the clock on my phone.

'_2:40... my flight starts boarding at 2:47... I barely made it..._'

I decided to close my eyes for a minute when the announcer called the first class to board.

'_Maybe I'll leave earlier... man, am I lucky..._'

Except, I didn't feel lucky; I mean, I'm about to leave Italy, the most beautiful place in the world in my opinion. And I left my friends, the Vargas brothers, back at the villa before taking a cab. Feli was crying, but was trying to be happy for my sake, and Lovino was just standing there in a gloom. It wasn't the best of goodbyes and I wish I could re-do it somehow.

'_I'm doing the right thing... aren't I? It's more responsible to go back where I have family and a job...so why do I feel as if I'm making a mistake..._'

I thought about the Vargas boys again; Lovino's rare smile and Feli's excited attitude. I felt tears start to form, but I pushed them down; crying wouldn't do in a foreign airport.

I walked up to the line as my section was called; I was the last one in line for the flight. I finally got to the front and handed the woman my ticket.

"RAGAZZA!"

'_Lovino?_'

I turned around and saw the Italian man running through the crowd down the ridiculously long hallway. He was jumping up every second or so to make sure I was still there.

"LOVINO?!"

"Ragazza!"

He had finally reached me and grabbed my hands.

"Lovino what are you doing here?! I'm going to be late for my flight!"

"Si prega di (name)! Non andare! per favore!"

(Please (name)! Don't go! Please!)

The tears from before rushed forward unhindered. A few of my tears landed on Lovino's hand as he clasped mine earnestly. He looked at me concerned and started to wipe the wetness away.

"Don't cry ragazza! Why are you crying?!"

"I- I don't know."

He smiled down at me, a genuine smile. "Idiota ragazza."

I remembered the plane was leaving any minute.

"Lovino, I have to go." More tears poured out as I said this.

"No you don't!"

"Lovino..."

"You can stay here!"

"I can't abandon my family and my job."

"Why not?! You could get a job here, and your family could visit you or you could visit them!"

"Lovino it would be too hard..."

"Let me make it easier for you! You can live with us! We'll take care of you! And I'll even pay for your family to come here and see you whenever you like!"

'_What? Why is he so insistent?_'

"So please stay with us ragazza! You would be very happy here!"

"Lovino I..."

He grabbed my shoulders and smashed his lips into mine like the night before, but with more meaning. The desperate way he was kissing me made me want to cry even harder, but I kissed back instead. He held me close to his body as he showed me why I couldn't leave him or Feliciano or Italy.

He finally released me and looked down on me with sad eyes.

"That has to be the saddest and best goodbye kiss in history..."

He looked devastated and was about to plead some more, but I placed a finger on his lips.

"...however, it will be known to me as a promise for what is to come."

He looked a little confused, and I laughed.

"I'm staying with you idiota ragazzo!"

He grinned and hugged me again; His grip was so tight, I thought I might be crushed.

"I...can't...breathe..."

"Sorry sorry! I'm just so happy!"


End file.
